1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a touch screen panel and, more particularly, to a touch screen panel which is protected against failure due to static electricity.
2. Description of the Related Art
A touch screen panel is an input device which allows a user's instruction to be inputted by selecting an instruction content displayed on a screen of an image display or the like with a user's hand or object.
To this end, the touch screen panel is formed on a front face of the image display so as to convert a contact position into an electrical signal. In the latter regard, the user's hand or object is directly in contact with the touch screen panel at the contact position. Accordingly, the instruction content selected at the contact position is inputted as an input signal to the image display.
Since such a touch screen panel can be substituted for a separate input device connected to an image display, such as a keyboard or mouse, its fields of application have been gradually extended.
Touch screen panels are divided into a resistive overlay touch screen panel, a photosensitive touch screen panel, a capacitive touch screen panel, and the like.
Among these touch screen panels, the capacitive touch screen panel converts a contact position into an electrical signal by sensing a change in capacitance formed between a conductive sensing cell and an adjacent sensing cell, a ground electrode or the like when a user's hand or object is in contact with the touch screen panel.
In this case, in order to clearly detect a contact position at a contact surface, the sensing cells include first sensing cells connected along a first direction by first connection patterns and second sensing cells connected along a second direction by second connection patterns.
Generally, first and second connection patterns intersect while being insulated from each other with an insulating layer interposed therebetween. The first and second connection patterns have a narrower width than patterns in the sensing cells themselves, and thus the resistance of the first and second connection patterns is relatively larger than that of the sensing cells. Therefore, the intersection portions of the first and second connection patterns may be easily damaged by static electricity.
In a case where damage, such as insulation breakdown or disconnection due to static electricity, occurs at an intersection portion of the first and second connection patterns, a driving failure of the touch screen panel is caused.